On the Town: Jazz martini night

Looking for luxury on a Sunday night? Finish your homework and rally the troops, it's jazz-martini time.

Walk through the Badlander's candlelit tables, pass the hepcat couple on your right and get up to the bar before the band gets set up. It's going to be quite the night. Martinis, stiff as ever, pour for just $4 each on Sundays. Please don't say shaken, not stirred (seriously don't — they won't be able to hear you, apparently).

The DJ spins classic jazz, from smooth sax to bebop, while your conversations spin out of your control as cheap and delicious ‘tinis take over your table.

Buttoned up, but not formal, is the attire — but you can expect the random weirdo. Even the bartenders are wearing button-up shirts. (In my experience, that's a rarity).

The red ceiling lights give the place an air of prohibition, or maybe post-war growth. Whatever it is, it feels like the Internet hasn't happened yet and synthesizers are just a far-off dream.

The band stirs up. A driving bass bop, the classic cymbal-happy trap set and the chase-scene guitar take you back — if the venue didn't already.

"It's chill, calm, unscripted," said Quinn Kessler, a Sunday regular.

She was sitting with a friend, as you'll often find her here, sipping a light drink.

"If you don't have class, if you don't work, tonight is great," she said.

Though yearning for something a little more classy, she digs what the Badlander has hosted since its opening several years ago.

Sometimes you get that smooth, late-night radio sound — like you're driving in the rain. Suddenly there comes the funk — deep bass and the wacky guitar riffs that make you say, "You need to be here."

Maybe it's just tonight's band, of which there is a rotating monthly cast. DR and the Outsiders play every first Sunday, and they blessed our eardrums this most holy of Super Bowl evenings.

After playing for over 40 years, "jazz seems like the next step," guitarist DR said.

The band looked veteran, in sync and stoked to be on stage, and the trio lined up their sounds accordingly.

Not everyone comes for the jazz, though.

My trusty photographer and I tasted four of the nine specialties they had listed on every table for your enjoyment. We decided that martini is French for ‘drunk candy,' but don't quote that.

First came the Manhattan — not on the specialty list, but still worth a taste. Bitter but smooth, the cherry-and-bourbon classic did not offend. It is not for the faint of tongue/throat, however, so I recommend this to smokers.

A clear contrast came in the Ellington — creamy and smooth enough to hide the vodka, but strong enough to make it worth the name. This Irish-creme delight is best enjoyed by milk drinkers and light stomachs.

Next up (and we didn't drink as fast as you're reading), the Hancock. It's your classic appletini — sweet and not too sour, like bobbing for apples in jungle juice. I recommend this one for sweet tooths, and fans of "Scrubs."

Finally, we ventured into the Satchmo. It's like getting drunk on spicy pickles — the vodka is infused with jalapenos, garlic and onions. The spicy bite overtakes the intensity of the booze. I recommend this one for spice fiends, and those not looking to meet anyone that night.

As it turns out, not everyone comes for the martinis, either.

Chris Vogl was drinking a PBR when he told me he'd been frequenting the joint for a few months now.

"I like to come and see what Missoula has to offer in jazz," he said.

But on a Sunday night?

"Weekdays don't bother me," he said, laughing at the thought of postponing the festivities to the weekend.

It was a great way to start the week, and it sure beat Madonna's halftime show — or so I've been told. If you want to get dressed up (and you're old enough), then don't be early — 7:30 p.m. Sundays at the Badlander.

brooks.johnson@umontana.edu